Bengal is now a nursing home! The fertility rate among couples is decreasing. Such information emerged from research statistics at a special event on World Population Day. The event was organized by the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health on Friday. The information presented by the experts increased the concern. Even in the seventies, Bengali households had at least two children. Dean of All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health Dr. Debashis Dutt said, no one has more than one child in Bengal, no matter what village, what city. The vast majority of the Gen Y generation is not giving birth to even one child!
According to the National Family Health survey, the fertility rate in the rural areas of the country is 2.1 percent, while the rate in the rural areas of Bengal is 1.7 in Mereket. That is, a woman in the rural areas of the country has two children, but in Bengal, the tendency to have children among the new generation is decreasing. What is the main reason behind this? Dr. “Financial insecurity is at the root of childlessness,” says Debashis Dutt. According to the survey, 88 percent of couples do not pursue parenthood due to lack of financial stability.
Due to these reasons West Bengal is much lower than the average fertility rate of the country. According to the National Family Health survey, the fertility rate in the rural areas of the country is 2.1 percent, while the rate in the rural areas of Bengal is 1.7 in Mereket. That is, a woman in the rural areas of the country has two children, but in Bengal, the tendency to have children among the new generation is decreasing. What is the main reason behind this? Dr. “Financial insecurity is at the root of childlessness,” says Debashis Dutt. According to the survey, 88 percent of couples do not pursue parenthood due to lack of financial stability.
Fertility rate is decreasing not only in Bengal, but throughout Europe and America. Norway, Sweden and Denmark have the lowest fertility rates in the world. The fertility rate there is 1.3 percent.
But not only in Bengal, the fertility rate is decreasing throughout Europe and America. Norway, Sweden and Denmark have the lowest fertility rates in the world. The fertility rate there is 1.3 percent. Suhrita Sahar, Head of Department of Sociology, Presidency University, said, “Lack of employment is also responsible for the increase in the elderly population in Bengal. Children from middle-upper-middle class families no longer stay in West Bengal after passing higher secondary. This trend has increased over the past 15 years. Bengalis are rightly proud of Bengaliana. But it is now nothing more than mere nostalgia. My child is working abroad – parents feel proud to say this.”
Also, there are multiple reasons behind Bengal newlyweds not becoming parents. In the words of SK Bhanwate, Director of Astrology Department, “The ever-increasing cost of raising a child has made parenthood a dreaded decision for many couples.” AIIH Director Dr. Manas Kumar Kundu, Associate Professor of the Institute of Development Studies. Shasvat Ghosh
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